and his name was barack obama. and i go by barry so that i don't have to explain my name all the time, and go into a long exanation of myself." and so i said, "well, if your name is barack obama, i'm going to call you barack obama because i like that name. >> narrator: in the school's literary magazine, barry now identified himself as barack obama. >> i think the word "barack" is absolutely essential to that identity of being, "i am a man. i am a man with a future. i need to be prepared for whatever that is going to be. i don't know the answers yet. but i sure as heck know i won't get there if i hang out and take things for granted and just be kind of a smart guy." >> narrator: but barack was restless at occidental. he decided it was time to leave. he would transfer to columbia university in new york city. >> one day he told me he was transferring to columbia. he had, i think, a need for a more expansive environment, more stimulating urban environment to grow intellectually. so that was his choice. >> he needed to